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Monday, February 24, 2014

I'm doing the experiment of not buying new fabric and I'm almost two months into it and I've been quilting and still no need for anything new.

Its called Fabriholics Anonymous, I tracked the start of this neat idea to the lovely Rebecca Lynne of Making Rebecca Lynne Blog, who admits she placed it out there on the sparkling and static Internet world to read. Her friend, the lovely Jess of The Elven Garden the receiver of the suggestion, was on board.

I learned about it shortly afterwards and then posted about it on this blog. I even included this photo in the first post, but hand on

But what I didn't share was that the photo of green bins really contains 100% re-purposed fabric directly from clothing and a small amount of it is new that was donated to me.

But for some reason, I didn't suggest it because its just not sexy!

As a blogger of the quilt world, I've learned that most quilters or readers want to read something that is sexy and attractive. In other words for those of you are wondering where I'm going with this, why do we call new fabric bundles and FQ's eye candy? Its because many of us are looking for sponsors and so many more of us, are able to pay for brand new fabric.

So I ask you, which would you rather read about, if we're really being honest?

I feel I slipped on my honesty of what really drives me and this is part of why I just don't care for this last damn Winter Block! Its got so much brand new fabric in it. Not like the block below? Its mostly reused from some pretty nice clothing. I gathered some awesome sassy type clothing labels which I embroider into sometime in the future.

Let me see, is any of this chevron braid new, oh yes, its the second up on the left, that shadowy rusty red colored fabric, but everything else is repurposed!

Oh there is another new fabric with the green gecko, right above this sentence.

This center block of "Beach House Crazy Quilt" that participated this past year in the O Canada special exhibit with International Quilt Festival and Market.

So there I have it, I've figured it out! I just wasn't totally pumped about my first winter block, so I'm going to do it over again, a whole new block to come, wait, that would make me behind?

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Recently, as mentioned before I have been experiencing carpel tunnel syndrome. I type a lot, I use a computer for some part time work I do and then I hand stitch. I guess it can be a deadly combination, so I'm resting them and this means very little stitching is going on here.

So lately, I'm trying to get some stitching done on my Winter Block, but to be honest its slow going.

This is where it currently is, slightly unfinished in my opinion. But then again, as the snow falls outside, our weather seems not done with winter, so its matching my block.

To be honest, I'm finding the idea of trying to portray a season to be challenging. Mostly because its difficult to define stitches with keeping within a grey, white and dark grey and pinkish colored fabrics. But when I think of winter in the north, we get a fair amount of grey days, with low hanging clouds that make a grey color to the landscape, so this is my perspective on my color choices. But I will continue and find the groove of my winter block.

Then Teresa has a rich textured collaboration of her color choices. Teresa has crazy quilted along really well, trying to vary her stitches and showing good promise of becoming somewhat hooked on crazy quilting. You can read more about her experience at her blog, Teresa's Quilt Journey.

I started playing with beads this past year when my friend Myrtle shared her techniques for making beaded earrings, I totally enjoyed learning how to make earrings and have been making own since. Lately, though I've had quite an interest in going further and somehow, making woven bead earrings has become very addicting.

As you can see my beads spill together, much like the creative flow of crazy quilting.

Friday, February 14, 2014

This artist from Holland is one of the best in my opinion, check her stuff out on Flicker!

In regards to my own journey of healing my carpel tunnel flare up while hosting my beloved quilt along, I'm happy to say I'm over the bump in my stitching.

I've been moving through my new Winter Block for my hosted Crazy Quilt Along 2014 on this blog, its simple to follow along and join in if its your first crazy quilt or its your 10th, we'd love for you to join.

My vision for this 'winter' block was an image in my mind of the very soft glowing kind of light that reflects from the snow on a clear night in our world of snow. This also falls upon a scene that represents the northern hills of Darbyshire in Britian. My parents are immigrants of Britian and I have a very old photo that has a scene like this. In the winter as well, so similar.

My style with quilting is eclectic and free spirited. Thanks for dropping by, I'm so encouraged by new follower's to my blog, do leave me a comment. Tell me where you are in the world and have you made a crazy quilt, I love profiling quilters doing unique work in recycling, innovations to the conventions of quilting and any craft as well.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

OMG, my pants are needing a belt! They are so loose that they are always lower over my belly than I like. My hubby is thrilled with my progress and he's been really helpful to my weight loss project.

Yep, when he needs a big fat, juicy, dripping something with calories type of meal, he heads into town for a lunch date with the boys!

Thank you sweetie!

Sometimes we tend to put everything and everyone in front of ourselves. We seem to do this for years, always finding a reason to not actually make the break and BEGIN to lose weight.

We try to make attempts but for some reason we don't stick with it. We fail. But what's important is that you get back up and get back on the horse, so to speak!

I'm attesting to a whole load of pain, anxiety, loss and heart ache from this past spring and summer. Its been a real roller coaster. Trying to find a simple place to sit without pain has been difficult.

Pain for me this past summer was excruciating. Sciatic pain of immense strength pulsing down my legs felt like a bolt of electricity surging through my lower legs. Fortunately, epidurals exist and I needed a whole bunch, but at least eventually they settled the sciatic pain to something that I can live with until I see the neurosurgeon this month!

Its been like a bad dream of falling off a cliff and yet you're awake! The kind of pain & fear, loss of lifestyle, loss of career, loss of income, losses all around the corner when you are suddenly incapable of walking very far, standing for very long, sitting in just the right place or I'm an unhappy camper, how do you hold down a job with all that going on?

I've read other bloggers have gone some hard stuff and they have been an inspiration to me, such as my favorite ~A Beautiful Mess

Wow, pain grabs your attention. Even though these strikes were single episodes sometimes, multiple episodes frequently until I got some relief with the epidural pain injections. The intense lower back pain, that for me felt like a big boat anchor was roped to my lower back. It dragged me down and down I went and I pulled that friggin anchor back up and said "Not on my watch, Mr Bad Ass Pain!" I've fought it.

The trick is to NOT let the pain get the whole of you. Don't give in to the pain owning you! I have fought it by thinking of the pain as a friend, that comes to visit and I embrace the pain, it will not get the better of me!

Toni Bernard wrote a book "How to Be Sick", she taught me that I had to stop and start developing a relationship with pain. I had to let it come, be as grumpy as ever, but to let it come and then let it go. Pain killers made me like a zombie. For anyone living with chronic illness of any sort, this remarkable story of Toni's journey is loving and tender as she takes you by the hand and offers you a way to cope. I thank her and her book can be found at the link below.

I know, heh, what a weird book title? But the contents of Toni's past decade gave me pause. Her words resonated with my life. Her life is so much more chronic than my situation, ( I'm hoping :) I began to let her influence my thinking about how I coped with pain. I took her advice and opened the door to my " special friend" called pain, who comes and often visits!

As you can see, I have a few pounds to lose, so come an lose with me?

Months down the road, I am opening another door, the smaller sized Carli door. I'm visiting with "her" a lot over these last two weeks since we started this fat burning soup thing.

Its helping me. I am feeling lighter each day. The pain is still present and I await a specialist appt. this month. But its something I can do. I know that sometimes I don't make a post and I get emails asking if I'm OK?

I'm OK if I am not being real, but being real has taken a 180 degree turn this past year. I do keep making posts, but it has to be on my terms.

If its not a day or a week that the pain can find a home elsewhere for me, then I don't post anything. I'm still working on hand projects, because sitting at the sewing machine is painful sometimes. I'm finding that too much hand embroidery leads to carpel tunnel syndrome.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Hello everyone, where ever you live I hope its an awesome day! Its very cold and blue sky sunny today, wow!

I have found some absolutely extraordinaire links of crazy quilting and the first up is one of the crazy quilting links on Pinterest that I'd love for you to go and visit, but first you might want to read the whole post before disappearing because I've got some things to say.

Things that helped me get started in crazy quilting!

When we got our first computer in mid 1990's, I started learning everything I could about the internet and computers in general. This is the kind of excitement I felt when I first realized that I loved making stitches that were similar to the images I saw in books and on the various web sites I found, before I even knew about blogging. So let yourself go, as you may have figured out about me, I don't go the way of the rest of the crowd. Maybe letting go of what your friends like, you know?

I'm hard working, on every job I've ever had, I did my share and more. I didn't wait for people to share their insites on how they stuck with the job. I make my way where ever I go, of course in foreign countries I'd do a ton of research before I'd go there, so get cracking!

I watch videos, read books, buy magazines and read a ton of blogs. I'm not focused on making crazy quilts that look like everyone's crazy quilts.

Make your way, in whatever you do, don't wait for anyone to give you all the details you're wondering about. Getting good at something takes commitment.

I've done my two versions of Jan and Feb as you see her version and my version.

You know I'm not buying anything for 6 months which started on Jan 1 with the lovely Jess at The Elven Garden and her Fabriholics Anonymous and for some reason I can't find her post on using up what we have. I know that's not what the fabric sellers that we love don't want us to do....but you've got to get rid of some fabric some how?

My vision for this lovely quilt along is to make a quilt that will fit into my new kitchen. I don't know what that will look like, but I've got an antique kind of idea in my head. I'm really happy to be linking up with Quiet Play and her BOM Sew KitschyI'm really pumped to learn more about paper piecing, with the many projects that I'm working on right now, I'm really glad to participate with this free BOM from Quiet Play.

Thanks to Canadian Living for this cute finish photo of the African Crochet Flower.

I just love playing with yarn, threads and fabric. Beads also come into this and now I'm into making jewelry!

What do you think of my radical wrist cuffs. These are just the first and more are coming along, they'll be posted in my new upcoming Etsy Shop.

And then reflection from all of my hand embroidery has made me rethink where I'm going. Just how much hand embroidery and hand stitching can I do anymore. Its such a pain to have to wear wrist support all the time.

Plus I'm working on some cute NEW Christmas "Snow Town Folk" patterns that I published in the Canadian Quilters Connection back in 2011.